Rumble in the Southwest witpqs-A vs Andav-J 2011-11-29 to 2017-02-08

[witpqs]

Okinawa.

[witpqs]

Air losses.

[witpqs]

Is this really an IJN carrier?

[witpqs]

The Intel screen - we have finally brought Japanese ground losses up to the elusive 20k level!

[BBfanboy]

20K is amazing. I don't think I have gone beyond 12K, but then I never tried to liberate China!

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

20K is amazing. I don't think I have gone beyond 12K, but then I never tried to liberate China!

Certainly some points were forfeited prior to that bug getting fixed, too. Can't really say how many, but there were some pretty hauls before then.

[witpqs]

1945 January 30

The Empire captured:


The Allies captured:
Soebi-besar is occupied by the Allies

There were Imperial amphibious or airborne operations at:


There were Allied amphibious or airborne operations at:


Imperial Naval Bombardments


Allied Naval Bombardments:



Our subs are conducting secret activities.

More progress on the ground in China.

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Ground combat at Amoy (83,61)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 4797 troops, 74 guns, 101 vehicles, Assault Value = 212

Defending force 3430 troops, 27 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 28

Allied adjusted assault: 80

Japanese adjusted defense: 17

Allied assault odds: 4 to 1 (fort level 4)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 3

Combat modifiers
Defender: experience(-)
Attacker:

Japanese ground losses:
394 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 17 disabled
Non Combat: 1 destroyed, 15 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 14 disabled

Allied ground losses:
8 casualties reported
Squads: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
776th Amphib Tank Battalion
708th Amphib Tank Battalion
22nd Australian Brigade

Defending units:
Amoy Special Base Force


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Ground combat at Kiukiang (85,53)

Allied Shock attack

Attacking force 4425 troops, 74 guns, 25 vehicles, Assault Value = 138

Defending force 687 troops, 4 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 27

Allied adjusted assault: 204

Japanese adjusted defense: 79

Allied assault odds: 2 to 1 (fort level 3)

Allied Assault reduces fortifications to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), forts(+)
Attacker: shock(+), leaders(+)

Japanese ground losses:
129 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 15 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Allied ground losses:
55 casualties reported
Squads: 1 destroyed, 4 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 1 disabled
Guns lost 1 (1 destroyed, 0 disabled)

Assaulting units:
23rd Australian Brigade

Defending units:
23rd RGC Temp. Division


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The attack at Amoy will continue and include the newly arrived armored unit, but the 23rd Bde (disruption 25%) will rest before continuing at Kiukiang.

There is lots of maneuvering going on in China right now, so refer to the pics below. Comparing it with prior turns might be helpful. Along the Formosa Strait one Imperial Rgt/Bde has moved inland along the road and might be attempting to assault Pucheng from behind if we leave no combat troops there. So we've stopped the para Bde there from moving forward while a TD Bn catches up that Rgt.

Our forces before Chuhsien are moving to envelope the town, and Imperial forces are moving back. Some are leaving Chuhsien, but we can't tell if they are going to abandon/lightly defend the place or are simply removing units that need to recover. This constitutes the right flank of the main drive.

The main spearhead is streaming eastward out of Nanchang and has yet to encounter the first enemy position.

On the left flank of the main drive a Bde has crossed the river into Kiukiang and will capture that location in a couple of days. Our task group out of Changsha is chasing the vanquished Imperials to Wuchang, which should be seized without too major a fuss, because the Imperials have pulled the vast majority of their forces back across the river into Hankow. Sinyang is also defended heavily enough to thwart any airborne attempt to storm it.

The last armoured units (from Singapore) will leave Changteh tomorrow for Ichang, where the first of the armour will arrive tomorrow. In three or four days all will be present and ready to dislodge the 2 Japanese units in the woods across the river. Those recon as 2 units, 5,940 troops, 13 guns, 0 AFV. Also at Ichang there were no air strikes today, so the fighters had no customers and the 17th Motorised Division is almost fully recovered. The Chinese Army 36th Division is also in place, and both divisions will cross the river with the armour, leaving the 23rd LRP Bde (which was flown in) on guard.

Just west of Chungking one Japanese unit has moved in-hex with a base force making for Neikiang. Air strikes should hit them hard in that Clear terrain, and the base force will exit the hex unless itself hit by air strikes.

Near Chengtu those 4 Imperial units obviously have movement orders for Chengtu because one of them all at once changed course and moved a hex off road, now 2 hexes west of Chengtu. Our units blocking the road are thus now well spotted, and in response that HQ unit has reversed direction and is heading back into our blocking/pursuing units to gain time for the combat units. What DAW HQ must have overlooked is that (AFAIK) only units which have AV (meaning non-zero AV) can enter an enemy hex if there are no friendly combat units already there. I've made that mistake where an artillery unit got ahead of the infantry, for example. The no-AV unit gets bounced back to 0 miles covered and no movement orders.

In the Philippines the armour will attack at Lucena tomorrow.

The Hokkaido invasion should be able to leave the Marianas in two or three days. Unfortunately, the Essex class carriers are pulling this duty with their significant January '45 AA upgrades.

China.

[witpqs]

Philippines.

[witpqs]

Okinawa.

[Drakanel]

Well, it seems that the situation turned out well for the Chengtu siege. One way or the other [:D]

Those essex carriers... hrrmm..

I guess 10-12 or something days for the invasion of Hokkaido then [:)]

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Drakanel

Well, it seems that the situation turned out well for the Chengtu siege. One way or the other [:D]

Those essex carriers... hrrmm..

I guess 10-12 or something days for the invasion of Hokkaido then [:)]

I haven't done a timeline but that sounds pretty good. I'll get the Essex CVs out of there ASAP to get refits, but I really don't know when that will be. I have lots and lots of CVE to go along so there will be a very large number of fighters in the air.

[RangerJoe]

Good Luck on that invasion!

Two things to point out:
1. The only dumb question is the one that hasn't been asked.
2. The stupid question is the one that has been asked twice. Clarification is not asking the question again.

That said, do you think that you will have enough supplies for all of the units when you capture Chengtu?

Do you have any airlift ready to send supplies in?

Are you going to turn off replacements and upgrades until the new Chinese units move to where there is more supplies before turning on replacements/upgrades?

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: RangerJoe

Good Luck on that invasion!

Two things to point out:
1. The only dumb question is the one that hasn't been asked.
2. The stupid question is the one that has been asked twice. Clarification is not asking the question again.

That said, do you think that you will have enough supplies for all of the units when you capture Chengtu?

Do you have any airlift ready to send supplies in?

Are you going to turn off replacements and upgrades until the new Chinese units move to where there is more supplies before turning on replacements/upgrades?

Most excellent question - that has been on my mind and I just don't know. Have been getting more and more supply into China and just about ready to ship many units from Singapore to Formosa (where they will not cause supply to stay in Singapore, where there is ~700k now), so there might be enough "in China" and the next issue will be how well it moves. I am holding back on most units upgrading to '45 squads until the '43 squads pools is drawn down. That also gives some time for the '45 squads pool to build for upgrading larger units (I'm pretty sure the pool is over 300 now, but haven't checked in several turns). I very well might have to turn off replacements on arriving units or all units in the Chungking plain area and I will play that by ear. Upgrading devices does not use supply AFAIK (does it?).

I have never ceased the massive Allied supply airlift, only lessened it when transport planes were needed for moving troops. I would like to wind it down because we lose aircraft at a staggering rate. The only reason it might be necessary now is to make up for limited movement of supplies to the interior, and the need in the interior will be greater when/if all those re-spawn units begin arriving.

[RangerJoe]

I do believe that the extra HQs would help draw supply but the over stacking penalties would be terrible. But the extra and otherwise not needed at the front HQs could then go to strategic points on the supply lines to help draw supplies to your attacking units.

[witpqs]

Good points. I'm sure I can get units moved quickly enough after arrival to minimize over stacking penalties.

[witpqs]

1945 January 31

The Empire captured:


The Allies captured:
Allied forces CAPTURE Amoy !!!
Allied forces CAPTURE Lucena !!!

There were Imperial amphibious or airborne operations at:


There were Allied amphibious or airborne operations at:


Imperial Naval Bombardments


Allied Naval Bombardments:



Our subs are conducting secret activities. They got an AO, too!

Progress along the coast.

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Ground combat at Amoy (83,61)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 5223 troops, 74 guns, 177 vehicles, Assault Value = 211

Defending force 3114 troops, 27 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 11

Allied adjusted assault: 121

Japanese adjusted defense: 15

Allied assault odds: 8 to 1 (fort level 3)

Allied forces CAPTURE Amoy !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: forts(+), experience(-)
Attacker: leaders(+)

Japanese ground losses:
686 casualties reported
Squads: 6 destroyed, 2 disabled
Non Combat: 28 destroyed, 7 disabled
Engineers: 21 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 9 (9 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 1

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
708th Amphib Tank Battalion
776th Amphib Tank Battalion
22nd Australian Brigade

Defending units:
Amoy Special Base Force


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Our base force near Chungking did get away, and the Imperial 3rd Mobile Infantry Regiment took a beating from the air and is now heading back to the safety of Chungking's guns.

The armour slashes through the fleeing horde at Lucena; Bacolod secured.

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Ground combat at Lucena (79,79)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 864 troops, 0 guns, 173 vehicles, Assault Value = 103

Defending force 9049 troops, 64 guns, 4 vehicles, Assault Value = 164

Allied adjusted assault: 41

Japanese adjusted defense: 6

Allied assault odds: 6 to 1 (fort level 3)

Allied forces CAPTURE Lucena !!!

Combat modifiers
Defender: op mode(-), disruption(-), preparation(-), fatigue(-)
morale(-), experience(-), supply(-)
Attacker: fatigue(-)

Japanese ground losses:
2682 casualties reported
Squads: 113 destroyed, 7 disabled
Non Combat: 144 destroyed, 0 disabled
Engineers: 11 destroyed, 0 disabled
Guns lost 15 (12 destroyed, 3 disabled)
Vehicles lost 3 (3 destroyed, 0 disabled)
Units retreated 6

Defeated Japanese Units Retreating!

Assaulting units:
1st Regiment
2nd Regiment

Defending units:
53rd Infantry Brigade
79th Brigade
19th Naval Guard Unit
2nd South Seas Det.
13th Ind.Mixed Regiment
1st South Seas Det.


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Ground combat at Bacolod (79,85)

Allied Deliberate attack

Attacking force 1875 troops, 4 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 104

Defending force 357 troops, 0 guns, 0 vehicles, Assault Value = 7

Allied adjusted assault: 97

Japanese adjusted defense: 1

Allied assault odds: 97 to 1

Combat modifiers
Defender: terrain(+), disruption(-), fatigue(-), supply(-)
Attacker: leaders(+)

Japanese ground losses:
184 casualties reported
Squads: 8 destroyed, 0 disabled
Non Combat: 0 destroyed, 2 disabled
Engineers: 0 destroyed, 0 disabled

Assaulting units:
3rd Commando Brigade

Defending units:
2nd Sasebo SNLF Coy


2nd Sasebo SNLF Coy Wiped Out at Bacolod by attrition!!!
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119 squadrons increased in size today.

The Hokkaido invasion is moving out toward a staging point SE of Marcus Island. They will take a slight east detour to stay at maximum search range from the Home Islands as long as possible. CA TF are just now leaving Daito Shoto, having stayed in hope of being seen still there on search. There are some support troops and air groups embarked both at Midway and on the way there; they will head for Kushiro the same turn that the invasion fleet leaves the staging area with the idea of entering the battle area when they are able to land.

The B-29 groups on Formosa and Okinawa are standing down to recover so they can strike in concert with the invasion. Tomorrow 6x P-47D25 squadrons and 4x P-51D squadrons will sweep Kagoshima, which recons with 137 fighters, 6 bombers, and 13 auxiliary types. Nagasaki/Sasebo, which is the desired target of a first big B-29 strike, recons with 242 fighters, 165 bombers, and 152 auxiliaries. I'll bet those particular fighters are the best aircraft with the best pilots, so our sweeps will nibble at the edges first. I am thinking about moving a number of B-29 groups from the Marianas to Canton so they will be much closer to Nagasaki/Sasebo.

China.

[witpqs]

Philippines.

[witpqs]

Okinawa.

[BBfanboy]

witpqs: 119 squadrons increased in size today.

Yikes! Can your pilot and plane pools keep up with the demand?

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: BBfanboy

witpqs: 119 squadrons increased in size today.

Yikes! Can your pilot and plane pools keep up with the demand?

No way. Not even close!

It's possible that B-24J production might catch up, but once they begin flying over the Home Islands I doubt it. B-29, various 2EB no chance at all. In March we get the night bombing variant of the B-29 and that will help.